


Speak of the Devil

by superkitten



Category: Dance Academy
Genre: Angst, Confusion, Enemies to Friends, F/F, Mentor/Protégé
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-05 01:55:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13377666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superkitten/pseuds/superkitten
Summary: What was it about Saskia Duncan that made her seek the woman out? What was it that made her want to listen to her advice, not knowing whether it was sincere or had an agenda behind it - one designed to hurt Tara’s chances of being a dancer with the Company?





	Speak of the Devil

**Author's Note:**

> I guess I should let you guys know why I'm writing this story in the first place. Fanfic writing is not my thing at all - long time reader, first time writer here - but the Tara/Saskia story arc in season 3 left me very confused - and intrigued. I'm normally drawn to dark or villainous characters, so it's no surprise I actually liked Saskia a lot when most of the fandom seemed to hate this character (and I don't mean this in a 'I'm such a special snowflake, ohmygosh' sort of way, I'm just talking about the reactions I've seen in places like tumblr). After everything that happened between them I guess I wanted to understand Tara's motivations for reaching out to Saskia, which, IMO, were not made clear on the show. If you have any thoughts/opinions/ideas you'd like to share, please, do! I'm planning on rewatching the show to see if I missed something that made the whole thing make more sense. In any event, I'm fascinated by their relationship.
> 
> Non-canon, obvi, this is just something that popped into my head at midnight on a Monday. All mistakes are my own - no betas were harmed for this story to be posted.

_Was she crazy_? Everyone seemed to think she was.

"Come again?", Abigail asked her, looking at Tara like she had two heads.

"Saskia? You asked *Saskia Duncan* for help with your audition solo?", Kat had asked her, in a slightly disinterested and at the same time surprised tone of voice, half listening to her friends’ conversation as she painted her toenails.

"The same Saskia that literally broke your back - that Saskia?", Abigail added, harsher than Kat, her eyes boring into the top of Tara’s head. Tara who was firmly avoiding her friend’s piercing gaze by looking down at her feet, suddenly fascinated by her shoelaces.

"Yes, that Saskia. Look, Abigail, I don’t expect you to understand —"

"And let’s not forget - the woman almost ruined Ben’s chances of getting into the Company with that stunt that she pulled at Swan Lake. That wasn't just about Ben, she did that to hurt you, Tara, she is not your friend". Abigail was now pacing the small stretch of space beside Tara’s bed, arms crossed, clearly worked up by the situation.

"I just don’t understand how you can trust any advice she gives you after everything she’s done. You should be avoiding her like the plague, not reaching out to her", Kat added, her voice softer than Abigail’s but her eyes clearly showing concern for her best friend.

"I understand your concern, I do, and I appreciate it, but I know what I’m doing", the girl added in a tone that was polite but left no room for conversation.

When Ben and Christian showed up in their room a few moments later, asking if they wanted to watch a movie downstairs, the subject of Saskia forgotten, Tara breathed a sigh of relief.

*&*

The truth is, she had no idea what she was doing. Or why she was doing it in the first place. That night, as she lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling and listening to her roommate’s light, rhythmic snoring, Tara couldn’t help but wonder why exactly she was willing to play with fire. What was it about Saskia Duncan that made her seek the woman out? What was it that made her want to listen to her advice, not knowing whether it was sincere or had an agenda behind it - one designed to hurt Tara’s chances of being a dancer with the Company?

Sure, Saskia was a very talented dancer, the youngest ever in the Company to make it to principal, in fact. Her performances were inspiring and Tara could only hope to achieve her level of success someday, dance as brilliantly as she does. But there were many talented dancers in the company and Tara wasn’t nearly as fascinated by them as she was by one Saskia Duncan.

A flash of a perfectly arched eyebrow pops into her mind just then, her recollection of the moment sir Jeffrey introduces Saskia to the corps de ballet as the leading lady for Giselle ("I've managed to lure back one of the company's leading lights!"), the older dancer’s eyes quickly finding Tara in the group and looking intensely at her. The girl couldn’t help but stare back, as if spellbound, at a loss for words. Tara also remembered, clear as day, the sway of the woman’s hips as she walked away after gifting her a journal and encouraging the girl to write down her thoughts, as a creative outlet. In that moment she couldn’t help the warmth that spread inside her chest, the hope that Saskia wanted to be her mentor, help Tara become the dancer she knew she could be.

And _that smirk_ \- sometimes more, sometimes less prominent depending on which moment Tara chose to recall of their interactions, that would randomly show up in both her dreaming and waking thoughts. She wanted to wipe that damn smirk off of her face, by dancing so brilliantly she would stun the other woman, or by simply marching up to her, grabbing her by the waist, and just —

 _I’m in so much trouble_ , Tara whispered in the quiet room, her voice raspy from several hours of disuse. Looking at her alarm clock, she noticed there was less than an hour until she had to get up, get ready for the day, and meet up with Saskia in the studio to rehearse Persephone, her new company audition piece.

Her heart skipped a beat.


End file.
